Apparatus for separating refuse from coal.



G. W. WILMOT & R. L. HINKLE. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING REFUSE PROM GOAL. APPLIOATION FILED MAILZS, 1910.

1,030,042, Patented June 18, 1912.

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ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO WASHINGTDN. D. c.

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GEGRGE W. WILMOT, OF HAZLETON, AND ROBERT L. HINKLE, F UPPER LEI-IIGH,

PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR SEPABATING REFUSE FROM COAL.

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Specification of letters Patent.

Patented June 1%, 1912.

Application filed March 23, 1910. Serial No. 551,214.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE lV. VViLiio'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hazleton, county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, and ROBERT L. HINRLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Upper Lehigh, county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Refuse from Goal, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for separating refuse from coal and more particularly it is designed for separating slate and rock from all varieties of coal but particularly anthracite.

It is known that there is greater friction between certain refuse matter such as slate and rock and the breaker chute than there is bet-ween the coal, whether anthracite or any other variety, and the said chute; and it is also known to be the case that the coal is usually granular in form and generally speaking of more or less spherical configuration.

It is the object of our invention to provide an apparatus capable of utilizing these qualities for the purpose of effecting the separation of the coal from slate and stone, etc., with the least possible breakage and crushing of the coal.

It is also the object of our invention to provide an apparatus having parts capable of certain adjustments by virtue of which it may be adapted for use in the removal of slate and rock from the difierent varieties of coal and also from coal in its different conditions and states of moisture and dryness.

Itis a further object of our invention to provide an apparatus which shall be capable of being economically constructed and which shall, at the same time, be efficient and effective in its operation.

l Vith these and other objects in view which will be set forth hereinafter or which will be obvious, our invention comprehends and resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and claimed and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which Figure 1 is a top plan View of a portion of a coal chute provided with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 1s an elevation of a portion of the operating mechanlsm looking toward the left in Fig. 2; and 4 and 5 are views showing details of construction.

It is to be understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made within the scope of the specification and claims without departing from the principle of our invention.

By referring to the drawings it will be observed that we have provided two chutes, one located above the other, but it will be understood that if desired one of the said chutes may be omitted.

Referring to the drawings: 1 designates the top chute and 2 the bottom chute of a coal breaker, both of which chutes are provided with sides 3. In the construction illustrated the chutes are of wood lined with metal plates or sheeting 4. The top chute is provided with an opening 6 extending substantially half way across its bottom, which opening is adapted to be closed by means of a sliding door 7 supported in bearing guides 8 secured to the bottom of the chute 1. Underneath the region or portion of the bottom of the chute 1 which is provided with the opening 6, we have secured an inclined plate 10 which extends between the bottoms of the chutes, being connected. to the same, which plate extends from side to side of the bottom chute. lVhen the sliding door 7 is open, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, substantially half of the coal which is passing down the top chute 1. passes through the opening 6, falls upon the in clined plate 10, and isdischarged on to the bottom of the chute 2.

Operatively associated with the chutes 1 and 2 are chutes which are adapted to receive and discharge the refuse matter, such as slate and stone, which may be separated and removed from the coal and discharged as waste to any point which may be desired.

We come now to a description of the means for. separating and removing the slate and rock from the coal, which consists of revoluble disks 16 and 17 supported in planes which, generally speaking, are coincident with the planes of the bottoms of the top and bottom chutes 1 and 2 respectively.

Although we have shown two chutes and consequently two revoluble disks 16 and 17, it will be understood that but one chute and one disk may be employed. It also will be understood that if desired more than one disk may be provided for each chute, the said disks being located in succession.

The disks 16 and 17 are secured to and supported upon a shaft 18 which is journaled in a bearing 20 formed in the base of a supporting yoke-shaped member 21. The shaft 18 is located at the edges of the chutes, substantially in the planes of their sides, as shown. Interposed between the lower edge of a sleeve 22 depending from the disk 17 and the upper edge of the bearing 20 are ball bearings 23 to facilitate the revolution of the shaft 18 and the disks'16 and 17 carried thereby. The yoke-shaped supporting member is 24 which is revolubly mounted in supports or standards 25.

In order to meet the various conditions which are found to exist in actual practice it is necessary to adjust the disks 16 and 17 so as to cause them to occupy slightly different planes. This result is accomplished by providing means for securing the yoke 21 and the shaft 18 carried thereby in different angular positions with respect to a vertical position. One means by which this adjustment may be accomplished consists of circular undercut or T-grooves 26 formed in the sides of the supports or standards 25 preferably concentric with the axis of the shaft 24. The said grooves are provided with enlarged openings as at 260 through which the heads of bolts 27 are inserted which bolts may be moved to such positions in the grooves 26 as may be desired. These bolts extend through openings 270 in the sides of the yoke-shaped member 21. The angle of the shaft 18 and the angular position of the disks carried thereby may be varied by moving the yoke-shaped member 21 pivot-ally about the shaft 24. By tightening the nuts on the bolts 27 the said yokeshaped member may be clamped and held in any position to which it may be adjusted.

28 and 29 respectively designate fast and loose wheels upon the shaft 24 by means of which the said shaft is driven or thrown out of operation. The said wheels are adapted to be driven by a belt (not shown).

The lower end of the shaft 18 is provided with a friction disk 30 which is adapted to be engaged by a friction drive wheel 31 by means of which the said disk 30 and the shaft 18 secured thereto are revolved. In order to vary the speed of revolution of the shaft 18 and the disks 16 and 17 carried thereby to meet various conditions which may arise, it is desirable to adjustably secure the friction drive wheel 31 upon the shaft 24. To accomplish this desired result,

pivotally supported upon a shaft the friction drive wheel 31 is splined upon the shaft 24 in a well known manner. The said friction drive wheel 31 is provided with a sleeve or collar 35 having an annular groove formed therein which is engaged by pins 36 which project inwardly from the opposite sides of a cured to the upper end of an arm 38 having screw-threaded connection with a rod or bar 40 which is rotatably supported in bearings 41 upon the uprights or standards 25.

42 is a hand wheel by means of which the rod or bar 40 may be rotated in order to adjust the arm 38 and the yoke-shaped part 36 back and forth thereon. By reason of the connect-ion of the said arm 38 wit-h the sleeve or collar 35 which is formed integrally with or otherwise readily secured to the friction wheel 31, movement of the said wheel engages the disk 30 at different distances from its center. The result is that the speed of revolution of the said disk 30 and the shaft secured thereto may be readily and quickly changed. If the friction drive wheel 31 should engage the disk 30 at points near its periphery the speed of revolution would be less than if the points of engagement or contact were nearer to the center.

The radii of the disks 16 and 17 are substantially equal to the width of the chutes 1 and 2 and one-half the width of the said disks extends across the chutes 1 and 2 and in substantial alinement with the bottoms thereof. Also it will be observed that the said disks extend across or beyond the upper ends of the chutes 15 provided to receive and discharge the waste material such as rock and stone which is separated from the coal by the said disks. The lower edges of the sections 45 and 46of the bottoms of the chutes 1 and 2 extend a short distance over the edges of the disks 16' and 17 and in order that the said sections 45 and 46 may be raised and lowered they are hinged as shown at 47 the lower edges of these sections shall be capable of being raised and lowered in order that the angular position of the disks 16 and 17 may be varied as heretofore described without being brought into contact with the under sides of the overlapping portions of the sections 45 and 46. In order to support the hinged sections 45 and 46 in adjusted position, we provide rods 50 which are adapted to be supported in holes 51 at the opposite sides of the chutes. It will be understood that any other suitable means may be employed for this purpose.

In order that the coal and any foreign or refuse matter which may be mixed therewith may be discharged upon the disks at the points at which it is found that the slate and rock are most effectively separated from the coal, we have provided ad yoke-shaped part 37 se-' and 48. It is necessary that j ustable deflecting plates 55, the upper ends of which are hingedly connected at the opposite sides of the respective chutes. For the purpose of adjusting these deflectors, we provide arms 56 having downward extending portions 57 which are secured to the said deflectors. The arms are provided with holes or perforations 58 through which pins may be extended into holes in brackets secured to the sides of the chutes.

In order to prevent the slate and rock from being carried by the revoluble disks 16 and 17 back into the coal chute, we provide the deflectors 58 which are connected to sleeves 59 which are loosely supported upon the shaft 18. The outer ends of these deflectors 58 rest against the upper ends of the inner sides of the discharge chutes 15.

The disks 16 and 17 revolve in the direction of the hands of a watch as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The coal and such foreign matter as may be mixed therewith, move downwardly along the bottom of the chutes 1 and 2 and are discharged on to the revoluble disks 16 and 17. The physical characteristics of the coal are such that there is relatively small friction between the,coal and the said disk and furthermore the coal is usually of a granular structure and the lumps or blocks thereof are of a more or less spherical configuration, and in consequence the coal continues on down the chutes 1 and 2. But the physical characteristics of the slate and rock are such that there is a considerable amount of friction between the same and the disks 16 and 17 and furthermore the pieces of slate and rock are usually more or less fiat. In consequence of the relatively great friction between the slate and the rock and the revoluble disks 16 and 17 these substances are separated from the coal and are carried from the coal chutes 1 and 2 and are discharged into the rock and slate chutes 15. It may be found that this separation is occasioned more fully and completely if the admixture of coal, slate and rock is deposited upon the disks at such points that it will pass over the said disks nearer to their centers of revolution; or on the contrary, it may be found that the separation is more completely and fully made if the admixture passes over the said disks at points farther removed from their centers of revolution. The purpose of the deflectors 55 is to control the regions or sections on the disks on to which the admixture of coal, slate and rock shall be deposited. The character of the admixture of coal, slate and rock due either to its normal physical state or due possibly to a dry or moist condition, may be such that the separation is more fully and completely made when the revoluble disks occupy certain angular positions.

For this reason the shaft on which the said disk is supported is mounted so as to be angularly adjusted.

In the use of our apparatus for the purpose of separating refuse matter such as stone and slate from the coal, metallic disks will generally be employed but the different varieties of coal vary in their qualities and characteristics and also the mixtures of coal with slate and rock vary accordingly as their condition of moisture and dryness vary, so that it may be found in some cases desirable to provide the disks with a facing of some selected frictional material such as stone, carborundum, rubber, cement, etc. We have not illustrated a disk provided with frictional material such as that last mentioned for the reason that the character of such material may vary as desired and for the further reason that our invention does not relate to the method or manner of securing the facing of frictional material in position.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a coal breaker chute having an inclined bottom, a disk having a portion extending across and in substantial alinement with the bottom of the said chute, means for causing revolution of the said disk in the direction opposite to the movement of coal in the said chute, whereby the refuse matter such as stone and slate is removed from the coal, and means for causing the admixture of coal and refuse matter to strike the said disk atvarying points with respect to the axis of revolution of the said disk.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a coal breaker chute having an inclined bottom, a disk having a portion extending across and in substantial alinement with the bottom of the said chute, means for causing revolution of the said disk in the direction opposite to the movement of coal in the said chute, whereby the refuse matter such as stone and slate is removed from the coal, and adjustable deflectors for causing the coal to travel over the said disk at different distances from its axis of revolution.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a coal breaker chute having an inclined bottom a portion of which is removed, a revoluble disk, one half portion of which extends into the space formed by the removal of the said portion of the bottom and the said bottom having a section located at the upper edge of the said disk which is hinged and the lower edge of which overlaps the adjacent edge of the said disk, means for causing revolution of the said disk, means for adjusting the angular position of the said our names this 21st day of March, A. D." disk, and means for supporting thesaid 1910.

hinged section of the bottom of the said GEORGE WV. WVILMOT. chute in adjusted position with its lower ROBERT L. HINKLE. 5 edge above the upper edge of the said disk. In the presence of- In testimony that We claim the foregoing J OHN J. KELLEY, as our invention, We have hereunto signed M. F. KOENIG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

